Women Empowerment via Farmers Club

Chikhwawa district is one of the poorest districts in Malawi (76% of its population living below a dollar a day). The district recieves less rainfall but also is prone to floods during the rainy season hence the area is characterized among others by food insecurity, environmental degradation, and low household income. Women in the district are often marginalized in social and economic spheres despite that they play a key role in securing food and are in general the backbone of socio-economic activities. The project is addressing challenges of food insecurity, high illiteracy rates, environmental degradation, low household income levels to reduce vulnerability of people. For example Mrs Donata Jenifa Light of Mtondo club in Mwasiya II Village from Traditional Authority Maseya in Chikhwawa District said the project has brought viable solutions to their socio-economic problems ." "We were experiencing a lot of problems before the project including poor harvest, but now we have learnt conservation farming which has improved the crop production. We have learnt conservation agriculture, construction of firewood stoves, group management and dynamics and business management." The training has also improved the self-esteem among the women farmers who have acquired knowledge in how to increase their production and income. ;